Portable lamp and interchangeable cage therefor



M y 7, 1955 c. H. STEVENS, JR

Filed April 2. 1955 PORTABLE LAMP AND INTERCHANGEABLE CAGE THEREFOR INVENTOR ATTORNEYS United States Patent PORTABLE LAMP AND INTERCHANGEABLE CAGE THEREFOR Application April 2, 1953, Serial No. 346,505

Claims. Cl. 240-54 The present invention relates to improvements in portable lamps and more specifically relates to an interchangeable cage holding means associated with a portable lamp and adapted to support a cage of selected size in encircling relation to the lamp.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved portable lamp and interchangeable cage holding means wherein the entirety can be made into a molded assembly with the component elements thereof held by the body of molded material.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved arrangement wherein the cage for the lamp is detachably held by means embedded in the body of molded material which material has flexibility so that the cage is resiliently mounted relative to the lamp in order that shocks to the cage will be dampened before reaching the electrical connections for the lamp.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved arrangement whereby different sizes of cage can be selectively detachably mounted on the supporting means embedded in the body of molded material.

Other objects are to provide an extreme simple arrangement of component elements all of which are held together by a molded body of selected material and with which a selected size cage is detachably associated, which whole assembly is economical of manufacture and can withstand hard usage.

Various other objects and advantages will become apparent from the detailed description to follow.

In the embodiments disclosed, the assembly includes a lamp-holding socket, a center contact element for the lamp, means for detachably holding a cage, and conductors connected with said means, center contact and socket, and a molded body having all of the foregoing embedded therein and held thereby. The means in one form includes a ring of cylindrical form and externally threaded, with a portion of the external threading exposed at the periphery of the molded body. The cage includes wires joined together in a substantially conventional fashion but at the upper end thereof the cage has a cylindrical internally threaded ring adapted to be cooperatively engaged on the ring embedded in the body.

The means in another form is comprised of a cylindrical externally threaded portion, at the upper end of which is a planar annulus provided with a plurality of spaced threaded openings the axes of which are parallel to the axis of the cylindrical portion. The body is provided with openings aligned with and above the openings in the annulus. The cage includes a body portion to the upper end of which is secured a fiat centrally apertured plate. The plate also is provided with openings adapted to be aligned with the openings in the body and annulus so that screws can be engaged therethrough for securing the cage to the body.

Lastly my invention contemplates the provision of a molded inwardly extending annular lip at the mouth of the recess of the socket so as to cooperate closely with Patented May 17, 1955 2. the neck of the lamp to seal off the electrical connections Within the recess.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a detail perspective view of the assembly of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional, view through a first embodiment of my invention showing. the electrical connections, molded body and-attachment of the cage to the body;

Fig.- 3 is avertical sectional view similar to Fig. 2 but showing a modified form of means for attaching a larger cage; and

Fig. 4 ,is .a top plan view of'the structure of Fig. 3.

Referring more particularly to the drawings and having reference now to Figs. 1 and 2,. the first embodiment ll of portable lamp and cage holding means will be seen to be comprised of a socket element 12, center contact element 14, means 16 for attaching the cage 18 thereto and a body 20 for holding the assembly together, and conductors of the cable 22.

The socket element 12 is constructed of any suitable electrically conductive metal and is of double wall formation, the inner wall of which has the spiral groove 24 formed therein for cooperation with the threaded end 26 of the lamp 28. One of the conductors 3b is soldered or otherwise electrically secured to the socket element 12 at the exterior wall portion 32 at 34f A second conductor 36 terminates in the electrical contact element 14.

The means 16 includes a ring formed of an electrically conductive metal and having external threading 33 throughout its length. A third conductor 40 is grounded to a hand ring or annulus 42, as shown.

The several elements above described are molded into the relationship shown in Fig. 2 and held together by the molded body 26. The material employed may be rubber, polyethylene or other suitable insulative plastic. The body 20 includes an elongated hand grip portion 4-4 in which an extended portion of the cable 22 is embedded and has a forwardly opening socket 46 in which the socket shell 12 is received and at the bottom of which the head 48 of the center contact element is exposed. The body has an enlarged head portion 50 outwardly of and above the socket and the means 16 is embedded in the peripheral portion of the body with the lower portion of its threaded exterior exposed at 52 below the overlapping portion 54 of the body.

The cage is conventionally constructed of a plurality of wires 56 joined together in cage-like form so as to protectively encircle the lamp 28 but at the upper end of the vertical wires, the cage includes an internally threaded annular ring 58 adapted to threadedly cooperate with the exposed threaded portion 52 of the means 16 and abut the overlapping portion at 54.

The mouth of the recess 46 in the body 20 has a small inwardly extending annular lip 60 formed therewith which is adapted to flexibly closely cooperate with the adjacent lamp portion so as to seal off the recess and electrical connections therewithin.

In the modification shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the portable lamp and cage holding means 10' is seen to include a socket shell 12', center contact element 14', means 16 for attaching the cage 18' thereto, and a molded body 28' for holding the several elements, including the conductors 30, 36' and 40', in an assembled portable relationship. In this form, the body is formed with the sealing lip at 60 for encircling the adjacent lamp portion of the lamp 28'.

The means 16' differs somewhat from the abovedescribed embodiment as it includes a cylindrical portion 62 having external threading 64 and a planar annulus 66, perpendicular to the axis of the cylindrical portion.

The annulus has a plurality of threaded openings 68 therein.

The cage 18 differs from the cage shown in the first embodiment but mostly in size. The cage 18' includes an opaque or transparent shield 70 having inner and outer rings 72 and 74 secured to the upper end thereof, with a fiat centrally apertured plate 76 attached to the rings in any suitable fashion. The plate 76 has a pinrality of openings 78 therein adapted to be aligned with the threaded openings 68 and corresponding openings 80 formed in the body 20. Screws 82 engaged through the aligned openings and secured to the annulus 66 hold the cage to the body.

If desired, a cage as shown in Fig. 1 can be threadedly mounted on the exposed threaded portion 64 of the cylindrical portion 62 when a smaller cage is desired.

As this invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, the present embodiment is therefore illustrative and not restrictive, since the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than by the description preceding them, and all changes that fall within the metes and bounds of the claims or that form their functional as well as conjointly cooperative equivalents, are therefore intended to be embraced by those claims.

I claim:

1. In a portable electric hand lamp, a molded body of resilient material having an elongated hand grip portion merging at one end with an enlarged head portion, the i head portion comprising a circular part merging with the forwardly extending part of an overall diameter less than the diameter of the circular part, said forwardly extending part having an axial forwardly opening socket therein, an electrically conductive socket shell secured in said socket and a central contact in the bottom of the socket, electric current conductors in the body extending therefrom for connection with a source of electrical power and electrically connected to said socket shell and center contact, and an externally threaded band annulus of an outside diameter less than the diameter of said head circular part fully embedded through a part of its axial extent in said circular part and encircling the said forwardly extending part and adapted to be threadably engaged through the remainder of its axial extent with a suitably formed and threaded cage part.

2. The invention according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the head circular part lying radially outside the band annulus forms a stop shoulder for engagement by a cage part threaded thereon.

3. The invention according to claim 1, wherein the outside diameter of the band annulus and the major diameter of the said forwardly extending part of the head are approximately equal whereby to facilitate the guiding of the cage part onto the annulus.

4. The invention according to claim 1, wherein the said forwardly extending part of the head decreases in diameter from its part of major diameter and said major diameter and the outside diameter of the band annulus are approximately equal whereby to facilitate the guiding of the cage part onto the annulus.

5. The invention according to claim 1, with an inwardly extending planar annulus integral with said band annulus and embedded in said circular part, and means for facilitating the attachment of a different form of cage to the body comprising apertures extending into the head portion from the top thereof and through the planar annulus and threaded in the parts thereof extending into the latter annulus.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 20,033 Hudson July 14, 1936 1,314,846 Anderson Sept. 2, 1919 1,976,362 Nielsen Oct. 9, 1934 2,096,604 Bissell Oct. 19, 1937 2,202,315 Langdon May 28, 1940 2,209,931 Popp July 30, 1940 v 2,286,891 Bissell June 16, 1942 

